There are only two ways- failure or success- in seeing whether Nagaland’s total liquor prohibition act 1989 is or is not a success. The Act was imposed as a knee-jerk reaction to the persistent demands and ultimatum served on the government by the mothers and students etc. There was no proper debate nor even adequate preparations made to realise the magnitude of the challenges of enforcing a difficult law. One way by which it has been deemed a failure is that the liquor prohibition act has not stopped the inflow of alcohol produced in illicit distilleries or smuggled from other states. This also means that enforcement has not been at its best. However, it would be wise to understand that in the history of prohibition in every state or nation, it has only achieved in driving liquor into an underground item sold at thriving black marketing outlets as well as proliferation of illegal and illicit liquor distilleries. Sale and consumption of liquor in Nagaland has not disappeared and neither has it decreased. Some months back it was estimated by sources that on an average at least ten truck loads of assorted bottled liquor enter Nagaland through Dimapur every day. This follows the demand and supply philosophy; wherein more the demand, higher the prices. Sale of banned liquor is estimated to be worth nearly Rs.200 crore annually. This estimate could be higher. There are a number of ‘liquor barons’ both in and out of Nagaland who are involved in this thriving trade. Be that as it may, what is also a matter of concern is that most of the liquor are imitation or fake brands ‘manufactured’ at nearby Khatkhati or in Arunachal Pradesh. Recently a combined team of Assam Rifles and Nagaland Police busted an illegal liquor distillery in Dimapur. The illegal liquor unit was busted on September 2,2020 at a closed-down mineral water bottling plant which is near the river bank at the outskirt of a village in Chümoudkedima area, some distance away from Dimul Factory and a plastic factory. The distillery was well equipped with distilling, bottling and branding machines. How the distillery went unnoticed by the law as well as public and for how many years, is another story. The busted distillery symbolises how unscrupulous persons are distilling spurious liquor that is harmful to health of the consumers. There were other illicit distilleries in and around Dimapur which were also busted. However busting of illicit distilleries does not seem to have stopped the inflow of liquor. Tragically, there are many cases deaths that have occurred during the decades, related with consumption of spurious alcohol. The cost in terms of deaths is a serious issue. Even the government has to spend more every year towards enforcement while it loses a huge amount as revenue to smugglers and unscrupulous elements involved in illicit distilling of fake brands or spurious liquor. Of course, on the flip side, prohibition has definitely changed the public attitude to alcohol. If there is a saying ‘out of sight and out of mind’ then it can be said that absence of it has deprived or prevented many from consuming it. The government has to apply its mind on which of the two is the lesser evil.